


Brazil Holds Gifts

by jobeii



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Black Character(s), F/M, Fluff, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-18
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:20:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25965007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jobeii/pseuds/jobeii
Summary: Hinata meets a girl from NY, and they roast each other between awkward fluffy moments.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Original Character(s), Hinata Shouyou/Original Female Character(s), Hinata Shouyou/Reader
Comments: 15
Kudos: 38





	1. one.

**Author's Note:**

> I just really wanted to write about Hinata in Brazil so here it is.

_Day 30_

_August 2017_

_Rio de Janeiro, Brazil_

He was here again. 

The man with the hair that blended with the skyline like he was kin to the sun. 

He had been here yesterday morning too when Cee found that spot under the trees. The man sat right where the tide reached the beach, and she decided he enjoyed the water on his toes. 

The pictures of the sunrise that she had taken with her Nikon were gorgeous from the new spot, which was why she hadn’t moved. Well, partly. At least that was what she told herself. She remained by the cement wall that separated the beach from the main road because it felt private. No one could see her from there because trees blocked their view just how she liked it. 

Today was the first time she’d decided to snap pictures of his figure against the sun. It was way too perfect to pass up. Okay, picture this. A man sitting completely still, legs crossed, palms open, and back straight as a plank in front of layers of water, full clouds, and sunshine that wasn’t quite loud yet. And, when the sun did rise it was like it threatened to swallow him whole. And, he just allowed it. 

Damn, she should write that down. 

Instead, she lifted the camera to her eye, and _snapped_. She could do that later at her desk in her dormitory.

Now, she was sure of a few things. 

He was definitely a foreigner, but he wasn’t from America like she was. Cee refused to try and pinpoint where because, one, profiling was a waste of energy, and two, the mystery of it all was cute. 

He was around her age—yesterday, she watched him sprint in the direction of the dormitories once he’d finished his stretches. 

And lastly, he could do a full split on sand. 

After a few pictures, she placed down her Nikon, pulled out a homemade bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich from her backpack, and began to unwrap it. 

Cee took a bite, and chewed leisurely. When the sandwich was halfway gone, she pulled out a book, stretched her leg across the bench, ready to get lost in the world of Nicole Dennis-Benn. 

The squawking was what made her look up. 

“Oh hell no,” she breathed, placing her breakfast in her lap. Overhead, a flock of gulls had assembled in “We see food” formation. She took another bite of her sandwich, and quickly wrapped it up.

From removed experiences, Cee had learned birds were nothing to play with in competition for food. She came from a land where the pigeon was head honcho, and by the look of things, gulls were no different in Brazil. They were extremely territorial, and wouldn’t hesitate to peck the bread crumbs out of you if they had to.

With their target hidden, the gulls chased the line leader in a couple circles before flying toward the water, and spreading out.

Okay. New approach. She slowly pulled her water bottle out of her bag, and pushed it into the sand. Then, she took out a bag of jabuticabas. 

Cee dropped the bag on the bench to apply hand sanitizer. Within seconds, a gull landed directly in front of her. 

She jumped. “Shoo,” she ordered, flicking her fingers at it. The gull blinked and stretched its neck. She sucked her teeth. “Please?”

It fluttered its wings.

“Jesus Christ!”

It began to caw, and a gull darted down from up above, knocking the fruit from the bench.

Cee let out a shrill scream as she grabbed her small backpack, and leapt off of the seat. The gulls congregated like a pack of hungry predators around her forgotten food. She groaned and slapped her forehead, her sandwich loosely tucked between her ring and pinky finger. She was probably getting crumbs or cheese in her ‘fro, but she didn’t care. 

They were a bunch of hungs brutally gnawing at the plastic to get to the fruit. No, _her_ fruit. 

She felt for her leather camera strap, and stilled when she met the hem of her shirt.

“Oh fuck.” 

Her camera. Her Nikon camera. It was still on the bench. 

Another seagull swooped down close to her kinks. “Bro! Get the fuck away from me!” She threw down her sandwich, and cowered while lunging across the sand. 

A figure darted by her. She turned and watched as the man of the sun gave one forceful kick at the gulls, which sent him in flight, and flat on his back. Cee cringed as he shot up quicker than her eyes could process. 

“Oh shit. Are you okay?-” 

“Yameru!“ The man said shakily, jutting his palms out at her.

Japanese? 

And then, he plowed toward the bench.

Cee covered her mouth. He spewed out what sounded like verbal keyboard vomit, grabbed her camera, and then jumped back. When a gull nabbed at the leather strap of the Nikon with its beak, he kicked the sand while pulling against it. 

Why wasn’t she helping? 

Cee moved forward and yanked the strap with him until they overpowered the gull. Again, he flung back into the ground, and Cee grabbed his shoulders to support his head.

The man looked up to her, all big eyes and shaggy hair, and stuttered out something. 

“Huh?” Cee looked at him, and the gull squawking. Then, him again. And then, the fucking demon gull. 

He pointed to the other end of the beach all while scrambling to his feet.

“Run?!” She said in a sudden eureka moment.

The man froze and it was like a bulb lit up atop his head. The bird fluttered toward them, and his companions followed suit. He grabbed her hand. “Run, run, run, run!” and they started down the beach. 

Somehow, they escaped the birds. The sun was fully out, and their heavy breaths mixed with the crashing waves. Cee was on her hands and knees eyeing her fingers getting lost beneath wet sand. She looked up. The man was laid out with light brown specs decorating his ginger hair that was noticeably wet from the incoming tide. He cradled her camera to his chest like it was a baby he’d been burping.

He turned to her with his mouth agape. Cee started to laugh. He joined in. It built as early beach goers stared at them in passing.

“Damn, that was scary,” she sighed and plopped onto her butt, too tired to care about the sand she’d be washing out of her shorts for weeks. And, don’t get her started on her hair.

The man groaned while raising her camera in the air. He propelled himself upright, crossed his legs, and looked at her. His damp bangs flopped forward right above his eyes.

She gave him a thumbs up as if to ask, “You okay?” and he gave one quick nod with his mouth in a small O shape. 

This was the man from the beach. Boy, was it weird seeing him so close.

Her eyes roamed without her permission. He had a petite muscular build with a set of broad shoulders and a back that looked even wider up close. His skin was on the paler side, but it looked dewy after their run. And when he pushed himself to his feet with his legs and hopped over to her, only then did she notice the tannish glow of his skin that bounced off of his ginger tufts of hair, and big golden brown eyes. 

He stood in front of her, so that it beat against his back. She didn’t miss the way his white tee clung to his toned biceps, and slender waist. He flapped it away from his abdomen, and she forced herself to look at his eyes.

“I’m sorry...you speak English?” He asked carefully while reaching out his hand that was free of the camera.

“O-oh. Um, yeah,” she stuttered, taking it.

“My English is not great,” he warned apologetically, and pulled her to her feet without a problem.

“Arigatō gozaimasu,” she responded cautiously, and he let out a soft noise of approval before bowing slightly.

It made them laugh again as Cee looked into those eyes of his. She didn’t know what was so awkwardly funny about speaking to someone in their native language that was foreign to your tongue. But there was definitely something humorous about it. Maybe it was the vulnerability on both ends. The will to move through the discomfort.

He was searching her face too. She could tell by the way his eyes flickered away and back like they were holding onto a secret they couldn’t tell. Cute. She smiled to seem more welcoming.

“Um, thanks for your help...” she said dusting off her pants, while thinning her eyes. “Your name?”

“S-Shouyou,” he spluttered, and again, he dipped his head. 

“Cee,” she introduced herself, and he extended his hand. 

They awkwardly shook, and Cee smiled at the formality of the gesture. The way they just hailed ass from a flock of aggressive birds. There was nothing formal about the situation. 

Shouyou looked to the sky while touching his chin. “I’m sorry it eats your food.”

He raised his hand to his mouth as if eating, and Cee nodded in agreement. It was cool that he was comfortable with testing the waters. Or, in that case, the language lake? No, no good. We won’t keep that one. 

Cee pouted. “Yeah,” she laughed nervously. Then, she bunched her fists near her eyes like she was crying, and he made a pained expression. “Estou bem,” she reassured, dipping her toe in the lake herself and he nodded. She wanted to let him know they have another body of water to paddle through. “You’re,” she starts, and points to him. ”Like Spiderman. Swung in and saved me.”

He perked as she posed like the well-known superhero, and then joined in with the biggest smile, imitating the sounds of webs shooting from his wrists. He circled her, and Cee followed with her eyes. Is he deadass? Is this really the man meditating by the water? 

He planted himself in front of her with a jump, and barely regained his balance. Cee quickly grabbed his shoulder, and he straightened like a plank. 

Rubbing the back of his neck, he pivoted his body toward her left so he faced the water. Clearly embarrassed, the man muttered, “Gomen'nasai-“, and then, “Oh, sinto muito.”

She could feel his anxiety. It was hard to read what exactly was making him nervous, but she decided it wasn’t the bad kind that she tried to avoid as much as possible overseas. As a matter-of-fact, he seemed concerned. When they were running, he kept her pace, even if they both knew he could run way faster by the bulge of his calves. And, he held the camera tight to his chest like a football, constantly peeking at it to make sure he didn’t damage it himself. It was clear that he didn’t want to cause harm, and he knew she offered the same intentions in return. 

Shouyou looked at her, and the sun caught in his eyes. Sheesh. This was starting to feel like a romance novel. He lifted her camera for her to grab the strap, and their fingers touched. Oh, come on.

“Cool,” Cee broke the silence, and she finally looked away. She reached for her bag, and placed her camera in. 

Shouyou gasped and pointed. “Edward!”

She followed his finger. He was pointing at her Fullmetal Alchemist transmutation circle pin that was bunched together with the rest of her collection. “Fullmetal?” She said, digging in her bag for her water bottle. 

Her fingers met the bottom of the bag as Shouyou said, “Yeah! You like it?“ 

“Hell yeah! It’s one...of my favorite...anime,” she trailed off, and then frowned as she whispered, “Damn.”

Shouyou tilted his head as she pushed her hair back, and looked in the direction they’d come from. The beach was filling up, and God knows how far they ran from the bench. 

“My water bottle,” she explained and motioned like she was drinking something. When Shouyou nodded, she pointed down the beach. “It’s back there.”

As she hoisted her bag on her shoulder, he grabbed her wrist, and shook his head. “No.” 

She explained that she has to. She’d paid a good buck for that. “Thank you, Shouyou.” She placed a hand on his. “For everything.” 

His grip didn’t let up. “I go with you!” he blurted. 

She started to protest, but then, thought about it. If he lived near the dorms, he would have to walk back anyway. And, it wasn’t like he was a burden. He was just fine, and nice, which could definitely become a problem.

Even so, Cee shrugged. “O-Okay-”

Before she could get in another word, he shouted, “Vamos!” and beckoned her on with a tug.

“Alright, alright. Chill,” she giggled as he skipped ahead of her. 

She shook her head as he clapped his hands together, pulled his palm over his right arm, and swung it like a sword. “Protect,” he vowed, and smiled her way. 

And, that was how she met the man she would leave behind.


	2. two.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They eatin'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for reading this. I was nervous about posting, but y'all received it so well. I appreciate it so so so so much, and I'm giving you all big virtual hugs and forehead smooches.

_ Day 63 _

_ September 2017 _

_ Rio de Janeiro, Brazil _

About a month in, Cee was seeing Shouyou at least once a week for language practice after Caribbean Lit classes.

It started as jokes on the beach after Shouyou’s morning meditation sessions, and then, Cee decided to give her his pitch. Shouyou was jealous that he didn’t come up with the idea first. 

Dinner was their time of study. It made the most sense. They were both busy during the day. Shouyou had intensive volleyball training or deliveries, and she had essays upon essays with a side of group study with classmates. Besides, trying to communicate while stuffing their faces made things ten times more fun, and manageable. 

They never ate by the water—Cee made Shouyou take the main roads even with their bagged leftovers—so most times, their favorite buffet spot by the dormitories pocketed their money. 

Sometimes, Shouyou brought food his boss planned to toss after a shift. Those were Cee’s favorite nights. They ate dinner with Pedro, Shouyou’s roommate, and debated which were the best subbed translations for anime: English or Portuguese. Shouyou normally sat in the center with his chin in the air, quietly humming the Japanese national anthem. 

The language barrier made things complicated, yes, but not enough for them to stop trying. They both benefited from the challenge. The good ol’ Equivalent Exchange. Shouyou got English study outside of manga, Cee enjoyed Japanese, and they were able to mess up without scrutiny. Maybe laughter, but nothing to lose sleep over.

Shouyou’s encouraging attitude helped a ton. He had this way of making any challenge feel like an interactive obstacle course rather than a rocky mountain. 

Google Translate was a third party in their conversations, and some of their best moments together were spent cracking up because of the mistakes it made. 

For general needs, like planning, they used Portuguese. Shouyou became her teacher in that department. He’s lived in Brazil way longer, going on a little more than one and half years compared to her 7 months, and has pretty cool methods to remember key phrases. It became their go-to when they wanted to understand each other quickly.

For example—

“Você gostaria de comer juntos, Shouyou?” Cee asked over the phone while lathering lotion on her legs. 

“Jantar, jantar, jantar...” Shouyou sang to himself before deciding, “Carne.”

“Meat?” She clarified. 

“Sim,” he confirmed.

“Café? Carne. Almoço? Carne. Jantar? Carne.” 

“Sobremesa?!” He added.

“Carne!” They said together and laughed.

“I got you. I know a place,” Cee reassured, and grabbed her Converse’s.

They met at the end of the block, where the dormitories touched the main strip.

As expected, when she arrived, he was waiting. Cee snorted. He was always at the spot before her, no matter how hard she tried to get there first. 

Shouyou sat on the curb, next to a neatly folded shirt, with his head resting on the edge of the building. Eyes closed, and legs wide open, he made his phone jump in his lap with a flick of his wrist over and over again. He looked tired. She wondered where he was coming from. 

When she stepped onto the curb, Shouyou pivoted, and locked eyes with her. The skin over his chiseled jaw grew taut as he smiled, exposing a top row of straight, white teeth. Her body warmed, starting from the pit of her stomach as he softly wet his lips with his tongue.

Chill, Cee reminded herself. She had to play it cool. 

“Hey,” Cee said, flicking his bangs with a finger. “Ready?”

He grabbed his shirt, hopped up, and flung it over his shoulder. “Where we going?” 

Cee just shrugged, and started to walk.

He followed, eager to fill the spot at her side. “Cee! Where we going?” 

They walked to a restaurant that wasn’t too far. Cee frequented the shop with her Carib Lit crew, especially when she was looking for a bit of home for her taste buds. 

It was in-the-cut, and looked sus from the outside, but morphed into a wonderland once you pushed open the doors. 

Shouyou gasped when they stepped in.

“Happy?” Cee asked as he spun, throwing his head from left to right.

“Sugoi...” he praised under his breath.

Awesome, indeed.

It was a small restaurant with reds, greens, yellows, browns, and whites. Paintings of young girls with mahogany to dark molasses brown skin decorated the green walls, each of them wearing fluorescent headwraps, and holding flowers, the colors of leaves in New York during Fall. They were four tables filled up by an older crowd of regulars, all of them either gossiping in hushed voices, or cackling with cups filled to the brim with copper-colored liquor in hand. 

“Welcome back,” an older woman sitting atop a stool behind the cashier counter greeted them. Cee smiled at the woman with chestnut brown skin, and a lazy grin that pressed dimples into her cheeks. She was the owner of the shop. “Patrick, lemme get some chicken curry with the extra roti skin!” She shouted in the kitchen window behind her, and turned back to Cee. “You bring a new friend this time?” 

Cee took out her wallet. When Shouyou reached into his pocket, she patted his arm gently. “Yes Miss,” she replied, handing her a bill. “Lemme get two of them.” 

After paying, they were led to a two-seat table in the outdoor area of the restaurant by their waitress. It was in the far back, lit with torch lights at every corner. The area faced the sea, but was blocked off from the water by a wooden fence. Cee breathed in the ocean water scent as they walked into a group of college kids sipping cocktails, laughing with open mouths, and swaying to Brazilian Funk music around their tables. She felt Shouyou move closer to her from behind. 

“You good?” She asked, as their waitress gestured toward their table. She pulled out her chair, and watched Shouyou sit in his seat with a plop.

“Hungry,” Shouyou said, rubbing his belly, and Cee chuckled. 

“Of course you are.” 

When their plates were put down, Shouyou stared at the chicken and potatoes wading in curry sauce with sparkling eyes. He totally ignored the steaming roti beside it.

Cee picked up her spoon, and Shouyou tapped her hand. She looked up. He clapped his hands together, and placed them in front of his face.

“Oh.” Cee put her utensil down, and assumed the same position. 

Shouyou nodded once, and in unison, they recited, “Itadakimasu.”

Cee watched as he hurriedly scooped the curry. 

“Shouyou.” 

He glanced at her with a mouth full of food, and swallowed it down.

“Like this,” Cee instructed, folding the edge of her roti, and ripping a piece. Then, she picked up the curry chicken and potato so it was wrapped in the roti skin. “You can use a spoon.”

His attempt ended in disaster. He tried to pick up everything with the roti, and it fell over his fingers. He looked at her, apologetically. 

“Here,” she offered her piece to him, and Shouyou peered at his dirty hands before opening wide. Cee raised a brow. Not quite what she was getting at, but she obliged. 

She placed her hand beneath his chin to catch anything that fell. His eyes nervously flicked between her hand and her face. Curry still managed to drip on his chin. She was tempted to wipe it away, but decided against it. 

Instead, she wiped her hands with a napkin, and rested on her palms, waiting in anticipation while Shouyou chewed slowly, not seeming to notice. 

Cee had a habit of looking at Shouyou’s lips, especially when he ate. It was hard not to stare when his mouth was such an active part of his face. They were pouty with a pink hue, and he was always puckering, twisting, biting, licking them clean, or God knows what else, while they talked. From their first scheduled meet, she decided that, if he ever asked what her issue was, she would blame the staring on a cool method off of YouTube that helped her learn pronunciation faster. In actuality, they just looked so soft, and inviting. 

Shouyou purring in praise brought her back to his eyes. 

“Delicioso?” she asked, and he nodded furiously. Of course, he liked it. Everyone liked curry and roti. “My grandmother cooks this,” she explained pointing to her food.

“Grandmother?” he questioned with his head tilted and she Google searched Winry’s grandmother, Pinako Rockbell. 

“Oh! Sobo!” He stretched the skin on his face and said, “Avò?” 

“Yeah. She is from Guyana.”

Cee showed him the-geographically-South American country located right above Brazil on the world map. Shouyou “ _ hoo’d _ ” and “ _ haa’d _ ” with unblinking eyes at the green, red, and yellow of the flag. 

“I like curry!” he declared, performing a little jig with his shoulders. Cee copied him. “Japanese have more,” he explained, ogling the dish. 

Shouyou leaned over the table as he searched up “ カレー.” He  pointed out the vegetables in the thick curry sauce, and the side of rice added to the meal in his section of the world. Cee shivered thinking of the peas that her Aunt liked to put into roti.

Placing his index on each vegetable, Shouyou described, “ Ninjin ... tamanegi , ” and Cee repeated. Or tried to. The few times she slipped up, he would laugh to himself. 

She made sure to flip him off with a faux sneer. 

“Next one, easy,” he said, and pulled up a picture of white potatoes. “Go,” he commanded. 

Cee pointed to her chest with her brows furrowed. He nodded. She shook her head. He thought too much of her. 

“You know it, Cee,” he teased her, while waving his head from side to side like a snake slithering across water. 

Cee chuckled at his imitation of her. She did the same when he needed encouragement for a word. 

“I don’t know it,” she retorted, and he squinted his eyes, suspiciously. “Say it,” she urged with finality. 

Potato!”

“Oh, that’s it?” 

“I wish you good luck in Japan,” he mumbled tauntingly in his first language. Cee nudged his foot under the table, and he yelped. She wasn’t too sure what it meant, but it was common for him to whisper the remark after her mistakes. That’s all she needed. 

She looked up at him with a grin, and he returned that blinding signature smile that thinned his eyes. 

“Eat your food, you bum” she commanded, and he dug in.

**

“When is your birthday?” Shouyou asked, and ripped another piece of roti. 

Cee stared at her plate in a quiet daze while playing with her straw inside her half-empty cup. 

“Cee!” Shouyou called and flicked his straw across the table.

It pulled her back to reality, and she looked up.

“When is your birthday?” He asked again with a pout. 

Cee weakly smiled. 

From his rehearsed tone, she could tell this was the question of the week. Shouyou tried to come with at least one newly learned phrase, as did she. The idea was to respond in the other person’s native language. 

That was if she could muster the strength. Why did he wait so late to do this? She was so damn full. 

“Jûni-gatsu?” She responded, slouching in her seat. “In December.”

“Mmm. Nan-nichi?” He followed up casually, and Cee started to sweat. 

What the fuck is language again? Japanese? English? We don’t know them. 

She watched him scoop a piece of chicken perfectly, and toss it into his mouth. He was a pro at it now after ordering a second round. Cee’s attention flicked from the food to his large almond eyes. She winked at him, and a soft blush dusted his cheeks.

“Sanjûichi…?” Cee tried, leaning her elbows on the table. She wasn’t quite sure if that was right until Shouyou corrected, “Sanjûichi-nichi.  Festa de Lemanjá? ” 

“Mhm. New Year’s Eve,” she said, and groaned, pushing her fingers into her hair. She fluffed the kinky coils, so they covered her eyes. Her brain was mush. 

It wasn’t long before she heard the scratching of metal on porcelain. 

“Hinata Shouyou,” she growled, and his giggles danced into her ears. She pushed her hair back just as he pierced her last piece of flatbread with his fork. He gave her an innocent look. “Take it,” she said.

He stuffed it into his mouth. 

There goes her leftovers. 

“I’ll be in Brazil doing final exams on my birthday,” she explained slowly so he was able to hang onto every word. He listened, attentively. “It will be my first birthday without my family.”

He swallowed. “Without your family,” he repeated, squinting his eyes.

“Alone? Like by myself,” she emphasized, and Shouyou hummed with an unreadable look. 

Maybe he didn’t understand. Cee started to pull out her phone, but he shook his head. 

“I know,” he reassured, boring his eyes into hers. “No family means no grandmother.”

Cee raised her eyebrows. Of course, he knew. Shouyou had been abroad for nearly two years. He was familiar with those lonely nights when a FaceTime call wasn’t enough. He knew the hopelessness that washed over you when not even Google Translate could smooth out a conversation. And, he knew about missing the taste of home.

“Yeah,” Cee said, and looked down at her empty plate. “But, it’s cool. I have friends in Brazil,” she dismissed with a shrug.

“Me,” Shouyou declared. Cee lifted her eyes as he reassured her, “I’m a friend.”

Her heart jumped in her chest. 

“Yeah, you are,” she agreed with a smile.

“Here you go!” The waitress returned, placing two opened beers on the table with a clunk.

Both Cee and Shouyou jumped at the noise, looked at each other, and nervously laughed before Cee looked between the waitress, and the drinks. 

“Um, we didn’t order these,” she said as Shouyou grabbed the neck of his bottle anyway. Cee reached to slap his hand, and he pulled it to his chest. 

“It’s a complimentary drink from Miss,” the woman explained as Shouyou stuck his tongue out at her, and took a sip. “She said she hopes you enjoyed your date. Can I get anything else for the couple?”

Shouyou choked and spat the drink, while Cee’s eyes bulged. 

“Kappuru?!” He exclaimed.

“W-we’re not...together,” Cee stuttered out, and Shouyou froze in his seat.

His eyes darted to the waitress, and he shook his head. “No, no, no.”

The waitress covered her mouth. “I’m so sorry. Let me take these back,” she said, and started to scoop them up, but Shouyou kept his beer tight in his hands. 

Cee slowly grabbed hers too. “It’s cool. We’ll pay.” 

She could die. She was going to die. 

Cee placed the cooled drink down, pushed her fingers on both temples, and sighed. 

Looking up at Shouyou’s red face, she said, “Leave?”

He nodded. 

“ Você primeiro,” she whispered. “Go first. I’ll follow.”

“No. You,” Shouyou shot back. 

“You.”

“Not me. You!”

“Shouyou, I swear to God.”

**

Cee looked at her phone, reflexively. Midnight. “You liked the food?” 

He nodded and bowed. “Arigatō gozaimashita.” 

Cee grinned, and leaned on the doorframe of her apartment. Shouyou popped back up, and tucked his hands deep into his pockets. She stared into his face as he rocked back and forth from heel to toe. It was a nervous reflex. She understood. 

They’d never stayed out this late before, and due to that, they usually parted ways at the end of the building where they met. It seemed the longer they embraced the night, the more peculiarities it offered back.

Ever since they’d left the restaurant, Cee felt something thick, and tense in the air between them. It rested, soundless, underneath the night critters, and touchy Rio heat. It made her ball up her clammy fists, and draw her eyes away from Shouyou’s chapped lips. His lips that he just couldn’t stop licking, pressing, and biting before gritting his teeth, so his jaw defined beneath the streetlights. 

Cee let out a deep breath through her nose as he locked eyes with her just as his tongue glided across his bottom lip. 

She grabbed the door knob. “Well, good night, Shouyou,” she said suddenly, and his mouth gaped. 

“Mate!” he ordered, and placed his foot in the door. Shouyou inhaled deeply and belted, “Please come to my match!” in Japanese, and Cee flinched. 

“Pardon?”

“Bīchibarē,” he muttered. Cee nodded slowly as he shivered, trying his best to find the words. “I have game. You...come?”

Oh. He wanted her to come to a volleyball match. Not to chill with Pedro or piece phrases together over dinner, but to watch him play the game he loved enough to travel halfway across the world for. 

Cee tried to suppress the smile forming on her face. She failed horribly as she said, “I mean, that’s cool. Y-yeah. Sure.”


End file.
